I was on just my second ride with the club, but foolishly admitted that I had Ian’s planned destination programmed into my GPS. Naturally, it was unanimously agreed that I now qualified as leader. Oh, and by the way, scribe. Something like “There’s the deep end; now swim!”. I had a destination, I had a GPS; how hard could this be?
So, in sunshine, no wind and five degrees, we set sail for Gerringong via Bungendore and a coffee stop in Nerriga. It was there that Kris admitted to the rookie error of departing on a ride with her fuel tank half full of air, so the next stop was Nowra for a top-up. No problem, we all tanked up and no further fuel stops were necessary for the day.
From Nowra to Gerringong seemed to be one continuous roadworks, and the temperature was now 20 degrees - hardly suitable for the layers of clothing with which we had all departed. Time to stop at the Sea Vista Cafe in Gerringong. With a name like that, we all ordered seafood, and none of us were disappointed; good food, good service and good company, and a pretty good view of the coast as well.
The next leg of the journey was what we had come for; the ride up Jamberoo Mountain and on through the Southern Highlands. Initially we were stuck behind an L plate driver doing, oh, about the pace of a horse and buggy on Jamberoo Mountain Road. I was pottering along wondering how to get six riders around this obstacle when Mick demonstrated correct passing technique to the learner unleashing the mighty torque of a BMW 1250.
We were also mixing, at this point, with a group of young gentlemen on Harleys. They seemed to be in some sort of hurry to pass us, only to stop at Jamberoo where, presumably, they had a libation then returned down the hill. We continued up the mountain on our journey of around 500 km; try doing that distance with ape hangers and a hardtail!
No more stops; we continued home through Robertson, Fitzroy Falls, Bundanoon and Marulan, where Kris peeled off to take the highway home; then through Bungonia and Tarago to Bungendore, where Mick peeled off and the remaining four of us said our goodbyes.
There was something for everyone today; tight winding mountain roads, fast sweeping corners, country lanes, and a bit of highway. The road surface wasn’t too flash in places, but those on adventure bikes claimed not to have even noticed. Many thanks to Mick B for assisting my novice leadership by ‘leading from behind’, and thanks also to today’s other riders for their patience and cameraderie.
Scott
The Team:
- Dave Jones Yamaha XT1200
- Jerome Hitchings Triumph Tiger Explorer 1200
- Kris Jirasek Suzuki GSXR1300
- Mick Beltrame BMW R1250GS
- Robert McNeilly Honda VFR800
- Scott England BMW R1250RT
